Intermodal cargo containers provide an economic mode for transporting large quantities of cargo or goods between distant locations. Such containers are stacked on ships, carried on railcars, and are typically delivered to a specific location on a semi-trailer. The United States freight transportation network commonly uses cargo or freight containers to move a staggering volume of goods each year. In 2001, an estimated 19 million containers entered the United States through water and land ports. In 2002, 17 billion tons of goods, worth in excess of $9.5 trillion, were moved into and around the United States. This translates into approximately 320 pounds of freight moved daily for each and every U.S. resident.
A typical freight or cargo container includes a box-like enclosure having an open end for loading and unloading goods. A pair of swing-out doors, mounted in a rigid frame of the container, serve to close the open end of the cargo container during transport. Each door is hingedly secured to the door frame along one vertical edge thereof. In many applications, an exterior of each door is provided with a vertically elongated locking rod disposed adjacent to a vertical side of the door opposite from the hinged side. Rotation of the locking rod about a generally vertical axis allows the locking rod to cooperate with other conventional instrumentalities on the door frame to secure the respective container door in a closed position.
Coupled with this immense volume of goods being shipped is the exposure to enormous risks. One of the most prevalent and so called “victimless” crimes involves cargo theft. Worldwide industry theft losses for cargo in 1995 were approximated at $470 billion. Between hijackings and internal fraud, the costs to business has reached epidemic proportions. As a consequence, insurance premiums and deductibles are rising at an alarming rate. While insurance payouts can replace such stolen goods, the loss of business from clients forced to buy replacement goods might never be replaced. Even though enforcement agencies have begun forming task forces to deal with cargo theft problems, most of their responses have been reactive rather than proactive. Accordingly, law enforcement agencies and private industry have realized they must work together to find a solution to the problem of cargo theft.
Heretofore, a very basic procedure at inhibiting cargo theft involves locking the doors on the cargo containers. In one form, the locking rods on the doors of the cargo container are configured to permit a padlock or other suitable locking device to be arranged on the outside of the container to prevent rotation of the locking rod. Of course, if the locking rod cannot be rotated, opening of the doors is prevented.
External locking of cargo containers, however, has not provided adequate protection. After removing such cargo containers from the ships, they are often placed upon the ground in remote storage areas prior to being loaded on trucks or railcars. The remoteness of such cargo container storage presents a prime opportunity for cargo theft. Another prime opportunity for cargo theft is when a railcar carrying cargo containers is parked on a secluded siding or switching yard. Such areas are vulnerable to having conventional padlocks arranged in the exterior of the container being cut or otherwise removed without drawing particular attention to such acts. Furthermore, if a theft of cargo does occur in either a storage area, secluded siding or switching yard, it is possible for such theft not to be discovered for an extended time period.
Thus, there is a need and continuing desire for a cargo door lock assembly which prevents the container doors from being opened when the cargo container is on a railcar or on the ground.